Last week I spoke on the radio in small town Iowa. A DJ with Energy
106.7, Scott Wozinski (who goes by the nickname "Wazz"),
called me about an interview.

As it turned out, nearby Marshalltown, Iowa is home to only 2
acupuncturists, David
Cheung and Irene Dougherty. I called and surprised David with
news of my upcoming radio appearance. He was beside himself with
excitement, and told me all about practicing Chinese Medicine
in Marshalltown.

"The people of Marshalltown are very receptive," said
David. "People there really get it, because Chinese medicine
is based on metaphors from observing nature, and Marshalltown
is an agricultural community, so they're immersed in that all
the time."

There are only 24 other acupuncturists in all of Iowa, and there
are nearly 3 million Iowans. As in many parts of America, that's
hardly enough acupuncturists to handle so many patients. "Some
patients drive several hundred miles to see us," said David.

"We treat allergies and physical pain more than anything
else here," he said. For allergies they used NAET (which
is not chinese medicine, but a system developed by a chiropractor/acupuncturist
- you can learn more at www.naet.com). For pain they use acupuncture,
especially the style taught by Richard Tan. They also employ Chinese
herbal formulas, which can treat a wide variety of complaints.

"We love it here," said David. "It's different-
there's no sushi bar, or anything- but now that I've been here,
I'd never go back to big city life."

When DJ Wazz on Energy 106 introduced me, he asked, "Is
this Brian Carter, the acupuncture god?" Somewhat surprised,
and definitely not wanting to make any claims to deity, I laughed,
"This is Brian Carter, yes."

"Acupuncture is your thing, right?" he asked.

"Actually, it's Chinese medicine," I said. "Acupuncture
is just one of the therapies we use in Chinese medicine."

"Ok. What other therapies are there?" he asked.

"Well, there's Chinese herbal medicine, diet modification,
lifestyle suggestions, and we can even recommend the right exercises
for you. Not every exercise is good for every type of person."

"That makes sense," Wazz agreed.

"Right, so we use the same diagnosis or pattern discrimination
for all of these therapies. That tells us what acupoints, herbs,
exercises, and foods will balance you."

Then Wazz asked about the Pulse website, so I gave the web address,
www.pulsemed.org, and that was all the time he had. I suppose
Energy 106.7 has to keep their energy up, so they can't spend
too long on any one topic, but perhaps Wazz'll invite me back
sometime. When he thanked me, I replied, "Anytime."

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About
The PULSEAll information herein provided is for educational use only and not meant to substitute
for the advice of appropriate local experts and authorities.Copyright 1999-2074, Pulse Media International, Brian
Carter, MSci, LAc, Editor